Method of and means for reenforcing wall foundations



Apr. 17, 1923. 1,451,799

J. A. YOUNSBLOOD METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR REENFORCING WALL FOUNDATIONS Filed April 24 1920 Fig-1..

WITNESSES ATTO R N EY Patented Apr. 17, 1923.

STAES JAMES ALGERNON YOUNGBLOOD, OF DALTIAS, TEXAS.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR REENFORCING WALL FOUNDATIONS.

Application filed April 24, 1920. Serial No. 376,283.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES A. YOUNGBLQOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Method of and Means for Beenforcing all Foundations, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a novel method of reenforcing or adding to the support of old brick or stone walls.

Many valuable brick or stone buildings have undergone enormous depreciation and have frequently been abandoned because of the foundations settling unevenly, due to the settling of the earth beneath them, thus causing the walls to crack and separate.

The method usually employed in reenforcing walls in such condition is toremove the earth in sections underneath the original foundation wall footings and place additional concrete or masonry foundations in sections thereunder. After such additional foundation sections become hard and set, other sections between them are removed and replaced with more sections of concrete or masonry. The various sections have to be placed in position alternately in order that sufficient earth support may be left under the walls to prevent the same from giving way under the crushing pressure ofthe weight of the wall.

This procedure is hazardous because the sections of earth left to temporarily support the wall; are liable to give way and spread out into the adjacent excavation, thus bringing about collapse of the wall itself. Fun thermore, owing to the fact that the addi tional foundations have to be installed in sections, it is therefore impossible to place reenforcing steel bars running horizontally and continuously in the additional foundations so as to make them a continuous mass. In other words, the method employed today results in the walls of the building being finally supported on blocks of concrete or masonry, which blocks while joining each other, are nevertheless independent and have no real connection, with each other. If the earth settles unevenly under the various supporting blocks the foundations will continue to settle in some places more than others, and little permanent improvement will be achieved. A I

T he principal objects of thepresent invention are to provide additional or reenforcmg foundation supports, which will positively arrest further settling of original walls or footings and prevent any danger of the collapse of the original wall, which require no disturbance of the earth underneath the orig nal wall, or deeper than the original footings adjacent thereto or removed therefrom, which can be constructed to bear any load or to be used with almost any kind of soil, and finally which are economical and simple in construction. A further object is to provide a reenforcing support of the character described which forms a continuous homogeneous mass of the reinforced concrete whereby the original wall will be supported throughout its length even though settling of the earth may continue.

The above and other objects of the inventlon are attained by first digging trenches on each side of the originalwall down to the bottom of the original foundation, but no deeper, thus avoiding any disturbance or weakening of the earth support underneath the original foundation footing. Then a reinforced concrete mass is builtup on each side of the foundation wall, which mass has reinforced concrete beams integral therewith, passing transversely through the original wall, thus bearing practically the entire weight of said wall. The footings of the reenforcing structure are placed on precisely the same level as the footings: of the original foundation walhtheoriginal footings having their hearing area thus increased to any desired extent. The openings in the original wall through which thereinforced concrete beams pass are located well up from the bottom of the footings the bottoms ofthe openings being no nearer to the bottoms of the old. foo-tings than half the width of said openings and therefore have no tendency to temporarily weaken the original wall footing, pending the emplacement of the reinforced concrete beams. The reenforcing structure is made in a continuous mass so that it will act to span or bridge over earth masses of unevenresistance;

to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as eX- pressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a structure built in accordance with the present invention showing the wall, which is reinforced,in horizontal ClOsS section.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the wall and reenforcing structure.

Fig. 3 is'a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line -l--4c of Fig. 1.

The numeral 10 indicates a brick -'or masonry wall which is presumed to be in such condition that it requires reenforcing. This wall has'the original footings 11 and at suit able intervals above the footings the wall has openings '12 spaced any desirable distance apart. The bottom walls of these openings should be no nearer to the bottoms of the i old footings 11 than half the width of said openings, thus avoiding temporarily weakening the old footings at a point immediately below said openings. I

The reenforcing structurewhich forms a part of the present invention is built on each side of the wall 10 and comprises footings 13, upright sections 14 rising from the footings but spaced from the wall, and trans verse beams 15 formed integrally with the upright sections and tied to the same by reenforcing bars 17. There is one of these transverse reinforced concrete beams for each openlng 12 cutin the wall and preferably the beam, where it passes through the wall, is of somewhat reduced thickness forming shoulders 16 adapted to interlock with the original wall 10 on each side thereof;

thus preventing relative displacement of the beam and wall, and for the further purpose of insuring the soft concrete mixture being forced well up against the top of the opening in the original wall by the weight of-that portion of concreteiabove the top line of said o enings.

a The size of the supplemental footings 13 should be whatever the conditions may require. If the soil is light and treacherous, these footings may each have several times the area of the original footings 11. transverse beam 15 should be of considerable width and height so as to be capable of practically bearing the weight of the original wall. The arrangement of the reenforc-ing steel rods 17 will be varied according to the strength required for the reen forcing structure, but in any case, such rods should run not only transversely of the reenforcing structure but longitudinally therewith and be continuousthroughout the entire length of the same. As Figs. 3 and 4 clearly indi The cate, the footings 11 and 13 are provided on precisely the same level so that in no case is any of the earth below the original footing 11 disturbed.

The construction of the present invention is simplicity itself, is therefore economical to build, and yet it will reinforce to any desired extent a brick or masonry wall however bad its condition and however poor the soil may be. It relieves the original footings of the load thereon and'distributes it over an area which may be increased as desired. It does not disturb any of the original earth under the original footings, nor does it require excavation of any earth what ever below the level of said footings, though somewhat removed therefrom. It forms a bridge or span for the wall over sections of earth which have a tendency to give way and will positively prevent any further settling of the original wall when properly installed.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of reenforcing old walls which consists in cutting a hole in the 'origitrench, and uniting said structure to said wall by means of a beam integral with said structure interlocked with the wall and passing through said hole, said. beam providing means whereby a part of the weight of the original wall is transferred to the reenforc-- ing structure.

2. The method of reenforci'ng old walls which consists in cutting a plurality of holes in the original wall above the footings thereof but below the ground line, constructing a reinforced concrete structure on both sides of the footings and extending the entire length thereof, and forming transverse beams integral with saidstruc-ture andeach passing through one of said holes, said beams providing means whereby a large part of the weight of the original wall is transferredto the reenforcing structure.

3. The method of reenforcing old walls which consists in excavating a trench on each side of the foundation of the original wall, each trench having a depth no greater than the depth of the original footings, cutting an opening in the orig'nal wall so that the bottom of the opening s all be no nearer to the bottom of the original footings than half the Width of said opening, construct ing a reinforced concrete structure consisting of supplementalfootings, upright sections and a transverse beam, with the supplemental footings located in the bottom of each trench alongside of but independent of the original footing, the upright sections spaced from the original wall, and the transverse beam passed through and filling the said opening, whereby a part of the weight of the original wall is borne by the reinforced structure.

42. The method of reenforcing walls which consists in excavating a trench on each side of the original wall footings having a depth equal to the depth of said footings and a Width as great as their width, and building additional footings in the bottom of each trench so that the additional footings extend continuously throughout the length of the original wall on each side of its footings and in juxtaposition thereto, with each additional footing having substantially the base area of the original footings, building a reenforcing structure on said additional. footings and rising above the same, cutting holes in the original wall above the footings thereof, and building a series of upright sections and horizontal beams forming a part of the reenforcing structure with the horizontal beams passing through said holes whereby a part of the weight of the original wall is placed upon the supplemental footings.

5. The method of reenforcing walls which consists in excavating a trench on each side of the original wall footings having a depth equal to the depth of said footings, and a width as great as their width, and building additional footings in the bottom of each trench so that the additional footings extend continuously throughout the length of the original wall on each side of its footings and in juxtaposition thereto, with each ad ditional footing having substantially the base area of the original footings, building a reenforcing structure on said additional footings and rising above the same, cutting a series of holes at regular intervals in the original wall spaced at the same distance above the footings thereof, and forming upright sections and horizontal beams as an integral part of said reenforcing structure, with said beams passed through the holes and being made of greater dimensions where outside of the original wall than where passing through the said holes, and all of said beams being spaced vertically above the ad ditional footings as well as horizontally from each other.

6. A reenforcing foundation structure for walls including supplemental footings built adjacent the original footings on each side thereof, vertical sections rising from the supplemental footings, and transverse beams joining the vertical sections and passing through the original Wall whereby a large part of the weight of the original wall may be borne by the reenforcing structure.

7. A reenforcing foundation structure for walls including supplemental footings in juxtaposition to the original footings and running the entire length thereof but having a depth no greater than the depth of the original footings, and transverse beams integral with the supplemental footings and spaced above the same, said beams being locked with said wall and supporting part of its Weight.

8. A reenforcing foundation structure for old walls including supplemental footings built on both sides of the original footings, vertical sections rising from the supplemental footings and in parallel relation to and spaced from the original wall, and spaced transverse beams passing through said wall and tying the structure to the wall, said beams lying substantially on the same level but below the ground line and being capa ble of supporting a large part of the weight of the original wall.

9. A reenforcing foundation structure for walls including supplemental footings built adjacent the original footings, and trans verse beams joining the supplemental footings to the wall, each beam passing through a hole in the wall and having a reduced portion fitting said hole with shoulders engaging the wall outside the hole for locking the beam to the wall.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

JAMES ALGERNON YOUNGBLOOD. 

